1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sandbag filling system and more particularly pertains to supporting a sandbag in an upright position to enable a single person to rapidly and efficiently fill sandbags during emergency situations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of filling systems of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, filling systems of known designs and configurations previously devised and utilized for the purpose of filling a container using known methods and apparatuses are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,406 to Buckley et al. discloses a portable, self-supporting, collapsible utility stand for supporting a trash bag or the like in an upright manner with its top open to receive the deposit of trash or other material therein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,308 to Franks discloses a bag support for maintaining the mouth of a bag in an open position that includes a base which is sized to be received within the bag and a pair of spaced apart support arms secured to the base; each of the support arms include two rigid portions connected by a resilient member. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,742 to Krauss discloses a sandbag support incorporating a pair of U-shaped edge upstanding panel members. All three of the above inventions consist of frail structural elements which would not withstand service at an emergency sandbagging operation. The prior art also discloses a trash bag holder as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,839 to Stevens which consists of a pair of circular support members interconnected by a pair of legs. The legs pivot at their respective midpoints such that the trash bag can be collapsed into a folded position for easy storage or carrying. U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,226 to Brooks describes a universal collapsible bag support stand having upper and lower bag retainer rings interconnected at spaced apart locations by a pair of straight tubular column members. U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,085 to Spagnolo describes a sandbag filling aid but without the capability of folding when not in an operative orientation.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe sandbag filling system that allows supporting a sandbag in an upright position to enable a single person to rapidly and efficiently fill sandbags during emergency situations.
In this respect, the sandbag filling system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of supporting a sandbag in an upright position to enable a single person to rapidly and efficiently fill sandbags during emergency situations.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved sandbag filling system which can be used for supporting a sandbag in an upright position to enable a single person to rapidly and efficiently fill sandbags during emergency situations. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.